ISW Experts Call Putin’s Claims About Capturing Territory in Ukraine in September “Hallucinations”

ISW experts called Putin’s claims about capturing territory in Ukraine in September “hallucinations”; they, on the contrary, record a reduction in territory controlled by Russia

Vladimir Putin said that Russian troops captured 1,301 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory in September alone, 2.5 times more than had been claimed in previous months. Experts at the Institute for the Study of War say these claims do not correspond to reality.

According to ISW’s assessment, in September Russian troops, on the contrary, lost control of at least 80 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory.

Putin claimed Russian territorial successes on the frontline in September 2026 that are so far removed from reality they resemble hallucinations. Putin’s absurd claims continue to present a fictional reality on the battlefield, supporting the Kremlin’s cognitive war to falsely portray Russian advances as rapid. ISW cannot assess whether Putin knows the figures he is presenting are false or whether he accepts fictional data about the frontline presented to him as a result of the deeply rooted culture of lying within Russia’s military command structure,

ISW’s report says.

ISW analysts rely on geolocated photo and video materials, satellite imagery, and visual confirmation data.

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